Dodge/Save Mart 350 - Raybestos Rookie Qualifying Quotes

BRENDAN GAUGHAN, #77 KODAK/JASPER DODGE: "We can't get the grip we need right now. The rear grip isn't quite working but Roy [McCauley, engineer], Matt [Borland, Ryan Newman's crew chief], Shane [Wilson, Gaughan's crew chief] they'll get together and figure something out. If Rusty and Ryan can find it, we can find it." ARE YOU STILL OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE RACE ON SUNDAY? "Qualifying is just qualifying. It means that we've got a lot longer day coming through the esses to try to pass people. We've got a good brake system on it to out-brake some guys. Just be nice and easy, be smart, and don't drop wheels off. It's amazing how many guys in NEXTEL Cup drop wheels off and end up spinning themselves out. Let those guys fall by the wayside and pick a few off and hope for the best." HOW DIFFERENT IS THE TRACK NOW VERSUS WHEN YOU WERE HERE IN THE PAST? "It's a lot different. You've got a couple different little corners here. I really liked the carousel. The carousel gave you something. Qualifying wise, it's nice without it because that was more difficult. In the race that was a place where you could do a lot of passing. You could set guys up, do a lot of gaining time on guys in there. Here, you just hope you don't mess up the few difficult corners there are."

SCOTT RIGGS, #10 VALVOLINE CHEVROLET: "We've been working on the car getting it better and better all day and the car was pretty good there. The turn before that in practice I had been a little free to the left and tight to the right so we made some adjustments. We were pretty good the last part of practice and had a really good lap going, looking at the time split versus where we were today. I think we were definitely going to pick up some time and be a lot better than we were in practice. The corner before that I'd been having trouble being free there and when I turned to the right it was like the transition going left to right when I turned to the right I got the rear end too light and it got away from me and I spun out. You don't have another lap and you can't redo it so that just hurts us." YOU HAD TROUBLE IN PRACITCE THIS MORNING. "I got into turn 11 there a little too hot this morning right off the bat. The track was really slick and I don't know if that's because the other cars were on it with different tires or what. The track was really greasy and really slick this morning. Everybody was slipping and sliding and I just came into turn 11 and not really going that fast but it was too fast for the track condition at that time and spun around and got into the tire barrier. We bent up the left front fender but nothing serious. We bent it back out straight and everything is fine there. We've got our work cut out for us as far as qualifying in the rear today."

BRIAN VICKERS, #25 GMAC CHEVROLET: "We had a good car and we were good in qualifying and I just messed up and spun out. We still have a car and we'll be fine in the race. That sucks but I guess that's part of it. The car had been pretty decent in practice. It was pretty good."

KASEY KAHNE, #9 DODGE DEALERS/UAW DODGE: "We were just really loose. The front cut really good and back was sliding around and as the tires heated up it got looser and looser as the run went. It's kind of disappointing. I thought we could run something in the 16s for sure and we didn't. I'll be better at the end of the race Sunday than I'll be this whole weekend. It's a matter of laps, doing it more and more and figuring it out more and more." DO YOU LIKE ROAD RACING? "I enjoy this kind of racing and stuff but I wanted to do better than that qualifying and we didn't."

SCOTT WIMMER, #22 CATERPILLAR DODGE: (Note: This is the first time in 2004 that Wimmer has been the top Raybestos Rookie in qualifying. He will start 25th in Sunday's race at Infineon Raceway.) "We struggled a little bit in practice today. I just wanted to keep it on course and of course I was trying too hard and got the thing to wheel hopping and all that. I'm proud of my guys. They've been having to deal with me on these road courses and that's something that I wouldn't want to do. I get pretty hard on myself but they've been doing a great job getting this thing running really good for me. I think we've got a really good car, I just need to drive it like you're supposed to and we'll be fine." YOU HAVE STRUGGLED IN QUALIFYING ALL YEAR SO RUNNING WELL TODAY ON A DIFFICULT COURSE MUST GIVE YOU CONFIDENCE. "This is about where I qualify on tracks that we run real strong at, short tracks and tracks that I'm supposed to be good at I qualify in the 20s. Now I come to a road course and qualify in the 20s [smiles]. It makes me feel pretty good. We're around some really good cars, Robby Gordon and those guys, and I think once I get in the race I'm going to learn so much that we'll be right there with 'em. Hopefully I can just follow him right through." IS IT A BLESSING TO START NEAR A VERY GOOD ROAD RACER LIKE ROBBY GORDON? "Definitely. I don't think I would want to start up near the front at this place with the limited amount of laps that I've got here. Starting next to Robby is going to be a huge help. When I saw that on the board that's the thing that made me most happy was that I was starting around him because those guys know how to get around these places so well and know what to do in traffic and I haven't had that experience yet. We'll get out there in practice tomorrow and hopefully learn a lot." WHAT WOULD BE A GOOD DAY FOR YOU ON SUNDAY? "If we could run top-15, I'd be pretty happy with that. I think I'm going to learn so much that we're going to be able to have a good shot at that, too. I'm kind of excited going into the race. Road course racing is so much fun and I don't know if it's because I don't know what I'm doing or what. I'm just having a blast out there. I this is how I'm going to have to go into these oval track races, just not think so much. Here I'm just letting the car do what it wants to do and I'm along for the ride. It's a lot of fun. It's a beautiful racecourse and I'm excited about Sunday. I think we're going to have a real good car for the race." DOES A DRIVER'S POSITIVE ATTITUDE ABOUT ROAD RACING MEAN A LOT HERE? "You know that you've got to run two of them a year. We've put in a lot of time testing and sometimes you get a little frustrated with all the time we spend just for two races a year. You get mad at yourself if you screw up a corner but you've got 10 more to figure it out and get it better. It's not like an oval. You screw up one corner there and you are pretty much done. This is going to be a fun experience. I'm happy with the way the guys have been preparing the car and happy with all the help that I've gotten. I've got a lot of help from Matt Riley and Tom Hubert and they've taken a lot of their personal time and a lot of their time just to help me get around this place."

Raybestos Rookies at Infineon Raceway (Qualifying)
S. Wimmer 25th
K. Kahne 30th
B. Gaughan 33rd
B. Vickers 39th
S. Riggs 41st